Devour Me
by seer17
Summary: This is Cassie and Ben's story. Their imprinting. It's about the Lancaster family and how they took Cassie in after a bad situation and treated her just like family. Cassie moves to Athens, West Virginia after her dad gets released from a state prison in New York and changes her name every time they move. She made a promise to herself. No boys. Until she meets Ben that is.
1. The Imprinting

"You're going to love it here, Skylar. Athens, West Virginia is going to be a fresh start for us." "Mom, it's just Sky, we've been over this." My mom sighed at the harshness in my tone. Can you blame me, I mean Athens isn't even on the map. It's just a dot on the world's radar. Not even a dot, but a speck.

"Sorry, I just like your name, Skylar just as it is, just like you." "That's crap, mom and you know it. We left New York for a reason." Well, I may have not been our reason completely, but I did have a few cases at lashing out at people. My anger got worse as time expanded to a few months.

Dad hasn't been the best father. He beat me from when I was little and went to jail for it. A few months ago he was let out of jail and found me. He beat me enough to bruise my face, but not enough for my mom to come home to a dead daughter. He escaped and we had to drop everything and move around for the past few months. Different identity, different personality, different Sky.

They let me keep my looks, though. Green eyes, boob length brown hair, and pale skin. My name used to be Cassia, but everyone called me Cass or Cassie. My friends don't even know where I am right now thanks to my dad. I'm also only allowed to use burner phones. Whenever we move, I have to buy a new one. It's a downgrade from an Android, trust me.

"We're here!" My mom said with way too much enthusiasm. There is no way she likes packing everything up and leaving last minute at the call of a police officer. All of the cops were informed of us being on the run or whatever it's called, so I'll definitely stay away from all cops from now on. I'll also definitely stay away from everyone. No point in making friends if I'll be leaving as soon as I got here. And the last thing I need is a distraction that's worth staying for. Specifically one of the male gender.

My mom on the other hand distracts herself with work and will hardly be home except for maybe he morning unless she picks up extra shifts at the new hospital she's working at, Athens Memorial Hospital.

"Come on, lighten up, Cassia." I whipped my head towards my mom. "That's not my name anymore and you know it. Cassia Black doesn't exist anymore. It's Sky Hart now." I huffed back in my seat as my mom pulled into the new house with the movers right in front of us. Before my mom could make a full stop, I opened the car door and hopped out with my flower pattern backpack in my hand. "Ca... Sky."

Well, one person got a good show. My new neighbor was sitting on his porch smirking. I met his eye and whipped out my middle finger and muttered, "asshole." Under my breath. "Ben, you said that we'd go to the lake today." So the douche canoe has a name. "It's already three. It'll be dark in a few hours." The girl pouted. "Give me five minutes, Chloe. Is Jack coming too?" "Yeah. He's inside all ready, unlike some people."

"Sky, these boxes aren't going to carry themselves. My mom handed me one of my many boxes of books. The one thing that makes me Cassia besides my love of music are my books. "Need a hand?" That voice was deep but not old enough sounding to be one of the movers from the truck. I turned around and fumbled with the box for a second, but lifted it up before it dropped. It was douche canoe standing in front of me in the flesh. "Not from you." I inched forward, but the box really was heavy and I have no muscles. Note to self, get muscles. Go to the gym here.

"Hey, you're the one who gave me the middle finger for no reason. And plus you were eavesdropping. Like what you hear?" I dropped the box meaning to drop it on his foot, but he caught it right as I dropped it. "Oh, please like you're so innocent. You were eavesdropping too." I held my hands out expecting him to place the box in my hand, but he kept walking.

"You're pretty weird. Where are ya from, Casky?" I froze in my place. He heard my mom's slip up and I had no idea where I'm supposed to say I'm from. "Tough question?" He stopped walking and turned back to me. "It's Sky." I managed to croak out, but barely said it above a whisper. "You must have not heard the whole conversation. You're not as good as an eavesdropper as you once thought. I hopped out of a moving car. My mom told me to get back in the car and there is no way in hell I'm telling you where I'm from, because I don't know you and I don't want to know you. All you are to me is an annoying neighbor. Got that, neighbor?"

I have no idea where that super confidence with a hint of snark came from, but maybe Sky Hart is super confident and snarky, possibly even sarcastic, whereas Cassia Black was super shy and kept to herself. I looked up and actually met his eyes and felt something different. Like an ache weighing me down to the ground. It's as if it physically hurt me to be mean to him.

Ben set the box down swiftly. He pulled me around to the backyard of my house and pulled me close to him. He touched my hands softly and kept me from falling. His touch made me feel wonders I didn't think a touch can make a person feel. my hands fit perfectly for his as if they were made for each other. I think they were. Our minds were connected just by his touch and if I tried hard enough I felt like I could infiltrate his mind and if he tried just as hard, he could infiltrate mine.

He pushed me away quickly as soon as I had gotten used to his wonderful touch. It's like he was a drug and I just got a huge hit and wanted more, even though we didn't kiss or have sex or anything like that. Just hand holding and I was fine with that. "This wasn't supposed to happen like this, Sky." He seemed pained. "Can you come over to my place as soon as you're done unpacking? We have to talk. My family will explain everything to you, okay?" Can't... Talk... No... Words... Nonfunctional. "Please?"

I don't need any distractions at this place, especially any boy distractions that will make it even harder to leave when I have to. I shook my head coming to my senses. "What did just happen?" I pushed him off of me. Moment's over.

I realized that I couldn't move. What the hell? "Go," Ben said as if he just released me from his spell. "But please you have to understand everything and if you still don't want any part of it then I'll accept your answer." I walked back around to the moving truck and the car and picked up the box Ben left in the middle of my yard and brought it upstairs to my room.

The color of the room was beige and came with a built in wall white painted bookshelf. Score! I started placing my box of books listed favorites on it and put them in order of authors and topic of book. When that was done, I got the rest of my boxes of books and did the same, eyeing each book carefully to find it's new home where it will live until I pick it up to read. I put my bed sheets on my bed that were super silky silver sheets. I had to buy new sheets after my old ones from when I was Cassia Black were stained with blood and regret.

I took off my red, blue, and gray plaid shirt and had on only my black tank top. It's so hot today. I wiped the sweat off of my forehead and took my brown hair out of my ponytail to pull it back into an even tighter and higher up ponytail. Just six or seven more boxes and I'm done with my share.

I walk back out to the truck and take the boxes marked dresses and t-shirts and carry them up to my room, but make no attempt to put them away in the dressers my mom must have had the movers bring up. I walk back out and take the boxes marked jeans and skirts. I carry them effortlessly up to the house.I'm already building up these muscles. I place these boxes on top of my bed next to the other ones and run back down the stairs out to the moving truck again. Just two more boxes marked t-shirts and jeans. Easy enough. I rush up the stairs to my room and put them on the bed. Knowing I'm going to see Ben is making me all giddy for some reasons. Why would I have a crush on him? Why does he want to talk to me? What's this magnetic pull making me want to be closer to him, making me want to be with him? No, too risky. I'm having a huge internal struggle with what I want and what's best for me. And Ben is definitely not what's best for me.

I take my plaid shirt and put it back on and tie it loosely and button it up. I walk down the stairs and sit at the little circle table in the kitchen area with one seat on each side. "I'm gonna go up to the hospital to get my uniform, honey. Are you going to be okay here by yourself?" I nodded. "I'll be fine, mom." She looked like she was on the verge of tears just by seeing my face. I have a scar on my forehead that will never fade no matter how much my mom wants it to. It's just a little blast from the past.

I hate to look in the mirror, because when I see it the memories come back to me and I'll have a panic attack. I have medicine I can take if they get bad just so I won't slip into a depression, but I haven't taken it till three names ago. That was two and a half months ago. Not even a month per name.

Standing up from the chair, I opened the fridge, and I looked inside hoping to find food or something. All I found was a big fridge full of nothing. "Mom, can I have some money? I definitely need food if I'm going to survive here." I smiled with my hand still on the fridge. My mom shuffled through her purse and handed me a wad of cash. Seventy dollars worth at least. "I'll be back soon and then you can have the car for the rest of the night." I nodded and my mom kissed me on my forehead and out of habit, I grimaced. My mom moved back from my forehead and frowned. "I'm so sorry, Cassie." When we're alone she always calls me by my real name and that means the world to me. "It's fine, mom. It doesn't even hurt anymore. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier. It's just I hate that we have to move around and we have to change our names. I hate that he was let out of jail. I hate that I'm still cynical about it." "I know." Was all my mom said but those two words had said more than you would think two words could say.

I hugged my mom and she left. I heard a rasping sound at the door not even a minute later. I felt something. That tugging on my chest. That tingly sensation that is indescribable. I felt Ben. I opened the door even though I wanted to see him, I didn't. I tried to shut it, but I couldn't move. I was liquid and he was the glass keeping me from falling. "Can we talk now?" I shook my head, because my word box had completely malfunctioned. Cassie is coming through Sky. "Please, Sky? You could hurt yourself. You have to understand."

I looked away from his eyes. Also known as my weakness. It had to be blue eyes. "Can't." Yes, a word. One, but still, I spoke. "And why's that?" He was in my doorjamb now and coming closer. Brushing his shoulder along mine and the tingly sensation grew stronger just by his touch. "Store," I blurted. Ben smiled warmly at my attempt to form a complete sentence. I love his smile. He even had dimples. Dimples never looked so amazing on another human being.

"I have to go to the store." I said flustered. He quirked a brow. "Without a car? That's a mile walk and something tells me you need to buy a lot of groceries. He nodded his head towards his car. It was a silver Porsche. Of course he's rich. Him with his black shirt and dark jeans. He's probably the type that flaunts his money thus the expensive car. "How about I give you a ride? And then afterwards we can have that conversation we were going to have." Despite myself I said yes.

I grabbed the wad of cash off of the table and shoved it in my pocket. He let me slip past him as he held the door open for me. "Weren't you supposed to take your little sister out swimming?" I asked as Ben caught up with my steps as I finally could manage to use my legs without Ben's helpful hand. "Something came up. She understands."

He opened the passenger side door for me and I hopped in and buckled up. Ben ran around to the driver's side and started up the car. It roared to life and he pulled out of his driveway. My burner phone buzzed in my pocket the second Ben tried to talk to me. Talk about perfect timing, I think. "Sorry, I should," Words were coming to me now, but I didn't know if he wouldn't want me to be on the phone while he was trying to talk to me about something clearly important to him. "Take it." He said.

I looked at the number, but didn't recognize it. I picked it up hoping it wouldn't be my dad. It can't be him. "Hello?" "Cassie? Cassie Black?" A male voice said. This is not a good sign. "Yeah?" "Meet me at the school parking lot tonight if you don't want your mom to get hurt. Be there at eight." He clicked off and left the dial tone and my heart beating. I hastily reached for my seat belt and unbuckled it. "You can just drop me off here, but something came up. I have to go." I looked at my phone and it said it was fifteen minutes till eight. Crap. Ben pulled over. "Who was that?" Ben asked genuinely concerned. I hate that he's concerned about me. I hate that I'm making him worry about me. "Um, my dad. He was just calling to see if we made it safely to the house."

Ben shook his head. "You look really freaked out, Sky. You're lying. Truth now, out with it." I opened my mouth and clamped my mouth shut just as fast. "Okay, that really was my dad and I'm leaving tonight." "With your dad?" I shook my head. "No, my mom. My dad's at the school right now, though and he has my mom, I think." "All right, buckle up. I'm cutting a ten minute drive into two minutes. And within those two minutes you're going to tell me what happened. I'm calling my dad. He's the Sheriff." Great, he already knows.

He punched in the numbers on his phone he just whipped out of his pocket and his dad picked up on the second ring. Ben put the phone on speaker so he could focus on driving. "Ben, what's wrong?" "How fast can you get to the high school?" "Five minutes. Why?" "Sky's mom is in trouble." "Okay, I'm leaving now." Ben clicked the phone off.

"Talk." He commanded. "My real name is Cassia. My dad is after me and my mom and I have to change names every time we move. He almost killed me one time and was sent to jail for it when I was eight. Last year he was let out of jail and found me and beat me senseless, but not to the point of comatose. This is my seventh name."

Ben sped up and when we reached the high school he told me to stay in the car and I obliged. So out of character for me. My dad got out of the car drunk as ever and dropped his bottle of Whiskey on the ground of the school parking lot. Ben's dad was in his Sheriff uniform and my dad pulled out a gun. "Stay back, I just want the girl!" He held the gun in front of him the whole time until he grabbed me by my throat. "You should have come alone, you stupid bitch."

My breath was taken away from me. I tried clawing at my dad, but he threw me on the ground and blood oozed off of my hair line and reopened my scar. Ben looked furious. I can't believe how much Ben resembles his dad, either. The only difference is the eyes. Ben's dad's eyes are a warm golden chocolate. "I'll get to you later." My dad looked at Ben and his dad. "Which one of you dies first?" My dad shook the gun at Ben. "What about you, boy? My selfish daughter did obviously bring you to your death." "Your daughter did nothing wrong, I chose to come."

I didn't hear a click in the gun at all yet. My best bet is that the safety is still on. I still was crouched down the the asphalt, but I lunged my body towards my dad and knocked the gun out of his hands and took it.

Ben rushed towards me and helped me up. Ben's dad handcuffed my dad and put him in the back of the police car. Reciting the Miranda laws as he walked my too drunk to function dad to the car. "I think it's about time we had that talk now." He brushed his hand across mine and the gashes healed instantly and then he did the same to my head. I didn't have to look at my head to know the scar was completely gone.


	2. Withdrawals

"Sorry that we can't have that talk right now, but we'll talk tonight when everything blows over. I promise." I believe him. I don't know why, but I do. He stayed by my side as we sat in the police station, waiting for my mom to come and take care of everything, and then we'll be leaving this place. My dad will be in prison and I'll move back home to New York and become Cassia again. My life was over as Sky Hart before it even began.

"Don't think that, Cassia." That's weird. He acted like he just heard my thoughts, did he? I'm going crazy. I should be carted off to the loony bin for even thinking that. Normal people can't read minds, and everyone is normal. Everyone's human. no one actually has superpowers.

"I'll explain it all tonight, but can you stop by my house tonight when you get home or I can stop by your house if you'd prefer." I shook my head. "I'm sorry, I can't, Ben. I guess this is goodbye." I don't want it to be goodbye, Ben! I cried in my thoughts. I'm really having an internal struggle here.

"I'll explain everything later, but not here. You'll be okay here with my dad, right?" I nodded. It's my dad I'm worried about. "Maybe I should take you home? You should get some sleep or something." I nodded. "I'll call my mom and tell her." Ben handed me his phone and I dialed. Much faster than my crappy one.

"Mom, I think I'm gonna get a ride home with Ben." My mom's breathing was raspy as if she was the one who was tackled to the ground. "Okay, honey. I'll take care of the paper work and we'll pack up and go back to living in New York and you can get back to your friends and boyfriend that you had to break up with."

Ben pretended not to listen, but I knew he was by the pained look on his face. I caused him pain. I hate that I caused him pain. "I'll see you at home." My mom said and clicked off. I clicked off too and handed Ben his phone back. "You had a boyfriend?" I knew he was listening. I nodded. "Were you serious?" Awkward question for a stranger to ask me, but it didn't seem awkward coming from Ben. I felt like I knew him before we even met. Like our souls were entwined together and together was ecstasy. Or it would've been if I wasn't leaving in a few days most likely.

"Yes. We were." I finally answered as he stared me down. "Before everything happened with my dad I thought I was going to marry him someday. I still do." I admitted, but the feeling is quickly lessening just from being here with Ben. "I'm sorry." I brushed the tips of my fingers over Ben's hardened knuckles. He was tense from my truthful answer. "You don't have anything to apologize for." Ben forced a smile and his knuckles unclenched and he moved his hand on top of mine and touched it softly. His touch was like a hit of a drug that was only meant for me and no one else.

"Are you ready to go?" Ben asked me. I nodded and we both got up with our hands still intertwined. They're meant for each other. I just know it. I can tell Ben knows it too.


End file.
